By 2030, several million more people will suffer from heart failure, and related total treatment costs will more than double, from 2012 levels, says the American Heart Association (AHA) in a policy statement published online April 24 ahead of print in Circulation: Heart Failure.

AHA estimated future costs of heart failure (HF) using a methodology that it developed to "project the epidemiology and future costs of HF from 2012 to 2030." The model did not double-count costs associated with comorbid conditions and assumed that heart failure rates based on sex, age, and race/ethnicity will not vary, and increasing costs and technological innovation will not vary. AHA projected that by 2030, more than 8 million people will suffer from heart failure; real total direct medical costs related to heart failure will increase from $21 billion to $53 billion; and total treatment costs will increase from $31 billion to $70 billion.

The statement authors concluded, "The estimated prevalence and cost of care for HF will increase markedly because of aging of the population. Strategies to prevent HF and improve the efficiency of care are needed."

In December 2012, APTA discussed how physical therapists can help patients manage chronic heart failure in this podcast.